The song Bachelor Boy was recorded on November 16, 1962 beginning at 7:00PM at Abbey Road Studios in London. The Shadows provided backing vocals and played all instruments, with Hank Marvin on piano. The producer was Norrie Paramor and the engineer for both the mono and stereo recordings was Malcolm Addey. Recording was completed on November 16, however the final mono and stereo single/album mixes were completed a few days later on November 19. An alternate mix for the USA market, from the original recording sessions was done on March 25, 1963

The song required at least 11 recording takes to complete, 9 with the full band and two additional vocals takes. Subsequent take numbers were given to new mixes of those recordings. The final single/album release was an edit of vocals takes 10 and 11 with backing from Take 9, and the alternate USA mix was Take 12 (although it was derived from the original Take 9). There has been quite a bit of confusion over the years about the releases and takes used for the song, with varying takes being released. Given information provided by Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall in several of their Cliff related books, as well as audible evidence from the vinyl releases, it is thought that this is finally sorted out. Here is a chart that displays the sequence of events that created the released versions of Bachelor Boy.

Seq.

Date

Take

Comments

Release(s)

1

November 16, 1962

Take 9

Drums, bass, piano, guitar recorded on one track and Cliff's
vocals concurrently recorded on another track of the 4-track tape

2

November 16, 1962

Take 9

Lead guitar recorded on one track of the 4-track tape

3

November 16, 1962

Take 9

Backing vocals recorded on one track of the 4-track tape

4

November 16, 1962

N/A

A decision is made that Cliff's vocals are unsatisfactory

5

November 16, 1962

Take 10

A new lead vocal recording is recorded.

6

November 16, 1962

Take 11

Another new lead vocal recording is recorded.

Work done on November 16, 1962 is stopped

7

November 19, 1962

Take 10/11

The rhythm, lead guitar and backing vocals of Take 9 are mixed to one track of a 2-track tape and Cliff's vocals from Takes 10 and 11 are spliced together (one take is the beginning to the third verse and the other take is the third verse to the end) on the other track of the 2-track tape. This is mixed together to become split stereo Take 10/11.

This is now the original stereo master

8

November 19, 1962

Take 10/11

The Take 10/11 stereo is reduced to mono

This is now the original mono master

Work done on November 19, 1962 is stopped

9

March 25 1963

Take 12

All tracks from the Take 9 4-track are mixed to stereo for the USA market with Cliff's original Take 9 vocals brought to the center. This is probably done because the split stereo was unacceptable for the USA market and the best full stereo recording available was Take 9.

This is now the USA stereo master

10

Between March 25 1963 and September 1963

Take 12

Take 12 stereo is reduced to mono

This is now the USA mono master

Takes 10/11 stereo, 10/11 mono, 12 stereo and 12 mono are used on
various releases up until the 1994 The Hit List collection

11

1993 -OR- 1994

Take 12 (Remaster)

Keith Bessey uses the Take 12 stereo mix to create a new mono master

This is now the The Hit List mono master

The Take 12 mono remaster has
been used on all collections since 1994

Although the arrangements are basically the same on all versions, it's clear that the Take 10/11 version and Take 12 version are the same backing track on both versions and the lead vocals are completely different. The lead vocals are remarkably similar with only very slight variations up until the third verse (beginning "As time goes by...") where the vocal splice occurs. A sample of this splice transition can be heard HERE with the first sample being the original recording (what eventually saw release as Take 12) and the second sample is the edited recording (which saw release as Take 10/11). Those with really sharp ears can hear a clipped sound on the Take 10/11, possibly Cliff's vocals from the original recording, just as Cliff sings the "as" in "as time goes by"). A much more overt sample showing the difference is at the beginning of the fourth and final chorus. On the original recording (what became Take 12), Cliff sings the first line as "Yeah, I'll be a bachelor boy". On the newer recording (used for Take 10/11), he sings it as "But until then I'll be a bachelor boy". A sample demonstrating this can be heard HERE. As a final note, it may be a bit confusing to call the earlier recording "Take 12" and the later recording "Take 10/11". It seems backwards, but this is the way engineers at the time did things, thus the Take 12 version is taken from an earlier recording and was given a new take number, even though it was only a new mix.

Bachelor Boy was recorded late in the sessions for the Summer Holiday soundtrack. The film was mostly completed and the producers realized that their final edit of the film was running short. They thought that perhaps a couple of additional songs could be added to build to the movie's running time so they called Norrie Paramor. As it turns out, both Cliff and Bruce Welch were present during the phone call and they immediately agreed to record new songs for the film. These songs, written very quickly, were Big News and Bachelor Boy. With only about two months until the film's release, they were written (both with Cliff as co-writer) and recorded very quickly at Abbey Road. Shortly after, the song was recorded again in Elstree studios and Cliff and the Shadows filmed the movie's scenes for the song. The liner notes by Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall in the 2003 special edition CD of Summer Holiday implies that the song was recorded first at Elstree, then later the single/album version at Abbey Road, but this is incorrect. Evidence for this being that certainly the studio would not approve the money for filming an unknown and unproven song, but also the song was obviously in the formation stages while being recorded at Abbey Road and by the time they got to Elstree to record, they had polished up the song to its final format.

This structure and melody of the song are a bit unusual for such a hit song. The beat and melody are a simple waltz, with its usual 1-2-3 structure. Unlike most pop songs of the era, it's also completely missing any sort of instrumental or vocal bridge. There's certainly nothing wrong with the song, but its structure is unusual for the era, given that it was such a big success.

The chord structure is simple, the song proper being in D major and using only the three most common chords - D, G and A. The verse is rigidly structured, twice through an eight bar phrase: two bars of D, then two of G, two of A then two of D. Likewise the melody contains little that is unique: each chord change is accompanied by an on-beat tone contained in the chord. The melody is strictly diatonic (i.e. all notes are natural to the D major scale) and the range encompasses exactly one octave (from D below middle C to middle D).

Virtually all the above holds for the chorus: same chord sequence and pattern, and (different) diatonic melody encompassing the same octave. The one exception is that the last bar is omitted. The most interesting part of the song from a musicological point of view is the introduction/link/coda. The introduction consists of an irregular nine bar phrase, the first and fifth of which revolve around a mixolydian C major chord that introduces the only non-diatonic element in the recording. Each bar of C is followed by three bars of D, which primes the listener to expect a perfect cadence in G major. Instead, on the second time through an additional bar of D is accompanied by a diatonic, on-the-beat run from A (through B an C#) that subverts the expectation of resolution to the G chord and resolves instead to the tonic (D). This theme is repeated in compressed form (without the diatonic run) as a 3 bar interlude of C, D and C prior to the second and third verses, and modified as the coda, which comprises a 6 bar alternation of D and C prior to the concluding D chord.

Originally recorded for the Summer Holiday soundtrack (Columbia 33SX 1472 (Mono) / SCX 3462 (Stereo)) released in January 1963, the initial December 1962 release was a little over a month prior on the The Next Time single (Columbia DB 4950 (Mono)). There was no stereo issue of the The Next Time/Bachelor Boy single. The original single is a double A-side, meaning that both sides are considered hit songs and are marketed as such. However in reality, the records are pressed with an A and B side no matter how they are marketed and The Next Time is the actual A-side of the UK single.

Bachelor Boy, paired with The Next Time, entered the UK Record Retailer Top 30 chart on December 6, 1962, reached #1 for three consecutive weeks from January 3 to 17, 1963 and spent a total of 18 weeks in the chart. It's Cliff's sixth Record Retailer chart #1. On the UK New Musical Express Top 30 chart, where The Next Time was tracked separately, it entered on December 5, 1962, reached #3 for two consecutive weeks from January 16 and 23, 1963 and spent a total of 15 weeks in the chart.

Also of interest is that Cliff co-wrote the song with Shadow Bruce Welch. Cliff's primary involvement was in writing most of the lyrics, with Bruce handling the music (and at least the "a wife and a child and they'll be my turtle dove" lyric). Cliff didn't write many of his own songs and of those he did, very few were hits. So for Bachelor Boy to be such a massive chart success and a song written by Cliff is a bit unusual. Certainly, given the conditions and time constraints under which the song was created for the Summer Holiday film, it was probably simple luck that Cliff be involved in the process. He and Bruce were present when the song was requested by Elstree Studios so they immediately set to work on a song.

A note about the lyrics... It appears that on the original recordings, Cliff is singing the choruses as "I'll be your bachelor boy", but on the film version and all subsequent live versions he sings them as "I'll be a bachelor boy". Is this the case or not? Given the context of the song, that a son is singing to his father, it would make sense that he heeds his father's advice and says "I'll be your bachelor boy." Either lyric makes sense. So did Cliff slightly alter these lyrics after the original recording? Or is this simply Cliff's British accent creeping into the song, where he adds the "r" sound at the end of a word that ends in an "ah" sound (such as "Donna" becoming "Donner" and "Maria" becoming "Mari-er")? This remains unclear, but it's probably a safe bet that it's simply Cliff's British accent showing through. One sample to demonstrate this, taken from the second chorus, is from the alternate early take, Take 10/11, the film version and a live performance from 1974. It can be heard HERE. Another sample, which can be heard HERE, is from the alternate early take, Take 12, Take 10/11, the film version and a live performance from 1974.

Cliff performed the songs many times over the years and released nearly a dozen live versions on various releases. He would record a whole new studio recording with The Shadows in 2009 for the 50th anniversary album, Reunited. The line-up of The Shadows was mostly the same, featuring Bruce Welch, Hank Marvin and Brian Bennett. Whereas Shadow Brian Locking featured on bass guitar on the original 1962 recording, the 2009 re-recording featured non-Shadow Mark Griffiths on bass guitar instead. Mark Griffiths is best known as the bass player from Cliff's stage band at the time. This new recording is the exact same arrangement as the original Take 12 recording, including the changed "Yeah" lyric in the fourth chorus.

Structure and Lyrics

Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released song as available on the standard issues of the original Summer Holiday album.

Cliff Richard and The Shadows (1963)

Cliff Richard and The Shadows (2009)

-Piano Intro
-Verse 1When I was young my father said
Son I have something to say
And what he told me I'll never forget
Until my dying day

-Chorus 1He said son you are a bachelor boy
And that's the way to stay
Son you'll be a bachelor boy
Until your dying day

-Verse 2When I was sixteen I fell in love
With a girl as sweet as can be
But I remembered just in time
What my daddy said to me

-Chorus 2He said son you are a bachelor boy
And that's the way to stay
Son you'll be a bachelor boy
Until your dying day

-Verse 3As time goes by I probably will
Meet a girl and fall in love
Then I'll get married have a wife and a child
And they'll be my turtle doves

-Chorus 3But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
And that's the way I'll stay
Happy to be a bachelor boy
Until my dying day

-Chorus 4But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
And that's the way I'll stay
Happy to be a bachelor boy
Until my dying day

-Piano Intro
-Verse 1When I was young my father said
Son I have something to say
And what he told me I'll never forget
Until my dying day

-Chorus 1He said son you are a bachelor boy
And that's the way to stay
Son you'll be a bachelor boy
Until your dying day

-Verse 2When I was sixteen I fell in love
With a girl as sweet as can be
But I remembered just in time
What my daddy said to me

-Chorus 2He said son you are a bachelor boy
And that's the way to stay
Son you'll be a bachelor boy
Until your dying day

-Verse 3As time goes by I probably will
Meet a girl and fall in love
Then I'll get married have a wife and a child
And they'll be my turtle doves

-Chorus 3But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
And that's the way I'll stay
Happy to be a bachelor boy
Until my dying day

-Chorus 4Yeah, I'll be a bachelor boy
And that's the way I'll stay
Happy to be a bachelor boy
Until my dying day

Variations

Not counting the mono/stereo variations and remixes, there are four studio takes of Bachelor Boy released over the years. These include Take 12 (which is actually a remixed Take 9), an edit of Takes 10 and 11, an unknown early take with a false start, and the take used for the Summer Holiday film. All versions are arranged the same, but there are some slight variations in lyrics and delivery.

The Take 10/11 version uses Take 11 up until the third verse, where the rest of the track is a tape splice from Take 10. At this edit, at about the [1:08] mark, can be heard a quick clip of Cliff starting a vocal before it is cut off. The most notable difference in the rest of the track is the first line of the fourth chorus. On Take 12, Cliff shouts "Yeah" and sings the rest of the line. On Take 10/11, he drops the "Yeah" and sings it straight as "But until then". The unknown early take with a false start shows Cliff experimenting with different lyrical delivery as he seems to flub a few lines and sings somewhat lazily. It is also completely missing the backing vocals and Hank's lead guitar. The movie version was likely recorded in Elstree Studios some time after the filming of Summer Holiday and is mostly the same arrangement as the Take 10/11 version. The song had to be re-recorded for the film as the music unions at the time forbid the use of studio recorded music from being used in a film. All of Cliff's film music pre-Wonderful Life is this way.

Song Section

Lyric/Part

Bachelor Boy (Take 10/11)

Bachelor Boy (Take 12)

Bachelor Boy (Alternate Take With False Start)

Bachelor Boy (Movie Version)

*

Bachelor Boy (2009 Re-Recording)

Studio Banter and False Start

Studio Banter and False Start

-

-

YES

-

*

-

Piano Intro

Piano Intro

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Verse 1

When I was young my father said

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Son I have something to say

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

And what he told me I'll never forget

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Until my dying day

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Chorus 1

He said son you are a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES, but the line is flubbed a bit

YES

*

YES

And that's the way to stay

YES

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to That's the way to stay

YES

*

YES

Son you'll be a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Until your dying day

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Verse 2

When I was sixteen I fell in love

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

With a girl as sweet as can be

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

But I remembered just in time

YES

YES

YES, but the lyrics are almost shouted

YES

*

YES

What my daddy said to me

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Chorus 2

He said son you are a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

And that's the way to stay

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Son you'll be a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Until your dying day

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Verse 3

As time goes by I probably will

YES, but note that the Take 10 edit begins here

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Meet a girl and fall in love

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Then I'll get married have a wife and a child

YES

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to And we'll get married have a wife and a child

YES

*

YES

And they'll be my turtle doves

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to And they'll be my turtle dove

YES, but the lyric changed to And she'll be my turtle dove

YES, but the lyric changed to And they'll be my turtle dove

*

YES

Chorus 3

But until then I'll be a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

And that's the way I'll stay

YES

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to Until my dying day

YES

*

YES

Happy to be a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Until my dying day

YES

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to That's what my daddy did say

YES

*

YES

Chorus 4

But until then I'll be a bachelor boy

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to Yeah, I'll be a bachelor boy

YES, but the lyric changed to Yeah, I'm gonna be a bachelor boy

YES

*

YES, but the lyric changed to Yeah, I'm gonna be a bachelor boy

And that's the way I'll stay

YES

YES

YES, but the lyric changed to Until my dying day

YES

*

YES

Happy to be a bachelor boy

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Until my dying day

YES

YES

YES

YES

*

YES

Counting the mono/stereo variations and remixes, there are even more variations. The original 1963 releases of Bachelor Boy used Take 10/11 and it was released in both mono and stereo. The stereo version was a split stereo version which has Cliff and the backing vocals hard right, and everything else on the left. Nothing in the center! Indeed, some sources say that the release of split stereo mixes was never supposed to happen. These are just working mixes, to be mixed later to mono or a proper stereo mix. However, probably owing to the after-the-fact recording of the songs, both Big News and the Take 10/11 version of Bachelor Boy were never mixed to true stereo and the split stereos were released as is. When the album was released in the USA in October 1963 under the slightly retitled Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday (with a different track listing than the UK album), the Take 10/11 edit was not used. It is thought that because of the greater prevalence of stereo in the US market, and the fact that the US market was not appreciative of split stereo mixes, that the split stereo of Take 10/11 was unacceptable. Instead, a new mix, called Take 12, was remixed from the 4 track tape. The rhythm track is still panned hard (right), but Cliff's vocal is now in the center, disentangled from the backing vocals (which are hard left, along with the lead guitar). It should be noted that although this Take 12 version was mixed for the USA market, it did not first appear on the USA Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday LP in October 1963 but the June 1963 release of the UK stereo EP entitled Hits From Summer Holiday. While the UK stereo EP used the Take 12 version, the UK mono EP of the same title used the Take 10/11 version. The USA LP used the Take 12 version for both the stereo and mono releases. For whatever the reasons the Take 12 was used, it started a long chain of variable releases and confusion over the song. This USA mixed Take 12 was also used on the 1965 UK album More Hits, the 1977 LP of the 40 Golden Greats album and several other compilations. Then for a few years the original Take 10/11 version was used again, as on the 1989 CD issue of the 40 Golden Greats album. Then when Keith Bessey did work on Cliff's catalog for the 1994 The Hit List compilation, he apparently took the USA remixed mono Take 12 and remastered it. It is this version that has appeared on all compilations and Summer Holiday releases since. As a result, the split stereo Take 10/11 mix is rare, but the true stereo mix of the Take 12 mix-- the version one that resulted because the split stereo version was unacceptable-- is now extremely rare and has never been issued on CD.

Here is a chart that shows the variations of the 1962 recording in chronological order of release. All are UK issues unless otherwise noted.

Year/Month

Format

Title

Mono/Stereo

Take

1962 November

Single

The Next Time (Mono issue)

Mono

Take 10/11

1963 January

LP album

Summer Holiday (Mono issue)

Mono

Take 10/11

1963 January

LP album

Summer Holiday (Stereo issue)

Stereo

Take 10/11

1963 January

Summer Holiday Film

Summer Holiday Film

Mono

Film Take

1963 June

EP

Hits From Summer Holiday (Mono issue)

Mono

Take 10/11

1963 June

EP

Hits From Summer Holiday (Stereo issue)

Stereo

Take 12

1963 October

LP album

Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday (Mono USA issue)

Mono

Take 12

1963 October

LP album

Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday (Stereo USA issue)

Stereo

Take 12

1965 July

LP album

More Hits - By Cliff (Mono issue)

Mono

Take 12

1965 July

LP album

More Hits - By Cliff (Stereo issue)

Stereo

Take 12

1977 October

LP album

40 Golden Greats

Stereo

Take 12

1983 April

LP album

Summer Holiday (EMI reissue)

Stereo

Take 10/11

1984 May

LP album

Cliff In The 60's

Stereo

Take 12

1988 April

LP album

Summer Holiday (MFP reissue)

Stereo

Take 10/11

1988 April

CD album

Summer Holiday (MFP reissue)

Stereo

Take 10/11

1989 June

CD album

40 Golden Greats

Stereo

Take 10/11

1994 October

CD album

The Hit List

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

1996 July

CD album

Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2000 October

CD album

The Whole Story - His Greatest Hits

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2002 August

CD album

The Singles Collection

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2003

CD album

Summer Holiday: Special Edition CD

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2003 January

CD album

Summer Holiday: Special Edition CD

Mono

Alternate Take (with false start)

2003 August

CD album

My Songs

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2005 November

CD album

Platinum Collection

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2006 April

CD album

The Collection

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2008 September

CD album

...And They Said It Wouldn't Last! {My 50 Years In Music}

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

2008 November

CD album

50th Anniversary Album

Mono

Take 12 (Remaster)

Also of interest are some alternate mixes that have appeared worldwide. The 1978 Australian LP, 20 Golden Greats has another remaster of the stereo Take 12 USA mix, providing a very pronounced (although not complete) separation between tracks: Bass, drums, piano and acoustic guitar are right, Cliff's vocal is center and backing vocals and lead guitar appear on the left. The 1983 Australian 25 Years Of Gold LP has yet another remaster of the stereo Take 12 USA mix, so that it sounds much more modern, adding lots of top end and narrowing the stereo image somewhat.

Of course, the 2009 re-recording is a whole new recording and only that one version exists of that recording.

Music Chart

These are the known statistics for the various country's music charts. If you can fill in the missing information or know of charting information in other countries, please let me know at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

UK Record Retailer Top 50 Chart Entry Date: December 6, 1962Paired on this chart with The Next Time

Record Date: August 11, 1961 [The Young Ones], December 19, 1961 [Do You Want To Dance], December 11, 1961 [I'm Lookin' Out The Window], May 17, 1962 [It'll Be Me], November 16, 1962 [Bachelor Boy], May 10, 1962 [The Next Time], May 5, 1962 and November 19, 1962 [Summer Holiday], March 8, 1963 [Lucky Lips], December 28, 1962 [It's All In The Game], October 13, 1963 [Don't Talk To Him]

Performed By: Cliff Richard (vocals), [all songs], Hank Marvin (guitar) [The Young Ones, Do You Want To Dance, It'll Be Me, Bachelor Boy, The Next Time, Summer Holiday, Lucky Lips, Don't Talk To Him], Bruce Welch (guitar) [The Young Ones, Do You Want To Dance, It'll Be Me, Bachelor Boy, The Next Time, Summer Holiday, Lucky Lips, Don't Talk To Him], Jet Harris (bass) [The Young Ones, Do You Want To Dance], Tony Meehan (drums) [The Young Ones, Do You Want To Dance], Norrie Paramor Orchestra (orchestra) [I'm Lookin' Out The Window, The Next Time, Summer Holiday, It's All In The Game], Brian Locking (bass) [It'll Be Me, Bachelor Boy, The Next Time, Summer Holiday, Lucky Lips, Don't Talk To Him], Brian Bennett (drums) [It'll Be Me, Bachelor Boy, The Next Time, Summer Holiday, Lucky Lips, Don't Talk To Him], Unknown (piano) [It'll Be Me], The Mike Sammes Singers (backing vocals) [It's All In The Game]

Enter comments only about this song. (Inappropriate comments will be removed.)

Re: your listing for the musicians on the 1984 NEC Birmingham VHS "Together-Cliff Richard and the Shadows 1984" concert....including Bachelor Boy. You list Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett as the musicians with "other artists and instruments unknown." The credits on VHS tape of the concert include Alan Jones on bass with Cliff Hall and Alan Park on keyboards.

Editor's Note: You are correct. This was an oversight that has now been corrected.

I worked with a lovely lady called Sheila Diane Russell many years ago. She has sadly passed away but she told me that she had been a singer and had had one hit record in ths country. She would not tell me her stage name as she was too embarrassed. She also said that she used to wear long white boots and that she had played the drums on Cliff Richard's Bachelor Boy. I can find no mention of her and wonder if anyone knows anything. I would love to find out more as I am now in contact with her sons and grandchildren. They have no photos or any info about ths lovely lady and I wondered if anyone can help. I would be extremely grateful.

Tell the world what you think of Bachelor Boy. What memories does it hold for you?

Quotations

Bachelor Boy (Standard Release)
The mono and stereo recordings are the same take and edit, but different mixes.

The original single/LP version of Bachelor Boy is an edit of takes 10 and 11.

The mono and stereo recordings are the same take and edit, but different mixes.

The original single/LP version of Bachelor Boy is an edit of takes 10 and 11.

"Bachelor Boy, a bright and breezy opus which Cliff performed in the film with The Shadows, climbed high into the Top Ten..."James Wynn (June 1963 - Hits From Summer Holiday EP)

"EMI issue souvenir 'Golden Discs' to all artists who sell one million copies of one number. If all are called, few are chosen. Cliff has four of thesefor Living Doll, Bachelor Boy, The Young Ones and Lucky Lips. They also issue souvenir 'Silver Discs' for sales of 250,000 and over, and Cliff has some seventeen of these, for such numbers as Living Doll, Travelling Light [sic], Voice in the Wilderness [sic], Fall in Love with Me [sic], Please don't Tease, Nine Times out of Ten, I Love You, Theme for a Dream, Girl in your Arms [sic], Looking out the Window [sic], It'll be Me, Lucky Lips, Don't Talk to Him, All in the Game [sic], as well as the four million-sellers."Bob Ferrier (1964 - The Wonderful World of Cliff Richard)

"Two of Cliff's biggest hits-- Bachelor Boy and Summer Holiday-- were at least partly Bruce Welch's work... [...] In May of that year [1963] records by Cliff Richard were numbers one, two and three in the Canadian hit parade-- Bachelor Boy, Summer Holiday and Dancing Shoes. [...] [The Summer Holiday film] has two of Cliff's most popular songs-- Bachelor Boy and Summer Holiday."David Winter (1967 - New Singer, New Song)

"[The] Next Time and Bachelor Boy came out as sort of a double A-side and people were allowed to pick the one they liked best. And I've got a feeling, it was round about Christmas time that I got the message that they-- both of them reached #1 together. And I remember thinking what a fantastic Christmas present, y'know, to wake up to a phone call saying you're #1 with two records. I must admit, though, that although The Next Time is the sort of the heading title on the album, whenever you see it, it's always got The Next Time-- stroke-- Bachelor Boy and I think on the gold disc it has that too, it... For me anyway, the more popular song is Bachelor Boy because that's the one I always got requested to do on stage. And it's the one I've performed most."Cliff Richard (1974 - The Music And Life Of Cliff Richard collection)

"[I helped The Shadows write] Bachelor Boy and On The Beach and all the sort of earliest kind of hits."Cliff Richard (August 1980 - The Cliff Richard Special on 2HCR FM in Australia)

"When Summer Holiday was completed, it was found to under-run by several minutes and when the phone rang in Norrie Paramor's office in Upper Harley Street, Bruce heard a panic-stricken voice on the other end saying another song would be required - but pretty quickly."Bruce Welch (1983 - The Story Of The Shadows)

"Bruce (him from Shadows) and I wrote [Bachelor Boy] in Athens during the filming of Summer Holiday. It always remind me of sun and sea even though the sequence was filmed in a studio in Elstree."Cliff Richard (1985 - liner notes for From The Heart album)

"There was a famous publishing house called Harms Witmark, who were responsible for publishing film scores. The music for many new British film releases was handled through this company. When we made The Young Ones with Cliff Richard in 1961, we discovered that all the material we had written for the film had to be placed with Harms Witmark, so we lost out again. The following year, when Summer Holiday was made, Leslie Grade formed Elstree Music for exactly the same purpose, and all music written for the film was channelled through this company. Like Paul McCartney, I still don't own my three biggest copyrights-- Bachelor Boy, Summer Holiday and Foot Tapper. They are the property of Elstree Music, now a division of EMI Music. [...] I can remember thinking, if only we owned 100 percent of Bachelor Boy-- it sold a million. [...] I wrote the main title theme [to Summer Holiday] to Cliff's movie with Brian Bennette in exactly twenty minutes, after reading through the provisional script. It became one of my most successful copyrights, along with Bachelor Boy, and both topped the British charts and sold a million copies each. Bachelor Boy was written to order, several weeks after the movie had been completed and the crew and cast disbanded. The film was being edited at Elstree Studios at the time, wehn the producer discovered, to his dismay, that it was too short and under-ran by several minutes. The easiest solution to the problem-- and the cheapest-- was to include another song on the soundtrack, and Norrie Paramor was contacted. Fortunately, Cliff and I were sitting in his office when a frantic call came through from the producer. We started work immediately and the song was completed in less than two hours. Then we had to troop back to Elstree to film an extra sequence on the studio lot that doubled as Greece. Bachelor Boy and The Next Time were the biggest hits in the film, along with Foot Tapper and Dancing Shoes. [...] With Cliff we also reached No. 1 with The Next Time, and Bachelor Boy, followed immediately by Summer Holiday, and we consolidated that success by scoring with Lucky Lips (No. 4), It's All In The Game (No. 2) and Don't Talk To Him (No. 2)."Bruce Welch (1989 - Rock 'n' Roll - I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)

"Bachelor Boy was written to order, several weeks after the movie had been completed and the crew and cast disbanded. The film was being edited at Elstree Studios at the time, when the producer discovered, to his dismay, that it was too short and under-ran by several minutes. The easiest solution to the problem - and the cheapest - was to include another song on the soundtrack, and Norrie Paramor was contacted. Fortunately, Cliff and I were sitting in his office when a frantic call came through from the producer. We started work immediately and the song was completed in less than two hours. The we had to troop back to Elstree to film an extra sequence on the studio lot that doubled up as Greece."Bruce Welch (1989 - Rock'n'Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life - A Life In The Shadows)

"Well Bruce wrote most of .... Bachelor Boy was his musical thing. I did lyrical content and Don't Talk To Him I did lyrics on that too. So I was the lyricist on both those occasions."Cliff Richard (June 3, 1991 - The Cliff Richard Collection interview CD)

"Cliff was there with me, so we just sat down for a couple of hours and by tea-time we'd written Bachelor Boy."Cliff Richard (June 3, 1991 - The Cliff Richard Collection interview CD)

"The years 1962 and 1963 were particularly successful, with When The Girl In Your Arms [sic], The Young Ones, Summer Holiday, The Next Time and Bachelor Boy, all lifted from the movie soundtracks."Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall (1994 - liner notes for The Hit List)

"The Next Time/Bachelor Boy did even better with both sides reaching the No.1 spot... [...] Work began in April [1962], and continued at a series of recording dates through the year to November, producing such classics as Summer Holiday, The Next Time, Bachelor Boy and Dancing Shoes. Some mystery surrounds the song Bachelor Boy, however. The version that was originally recorded for the [Summer Holiday] film is slightly different to the version that was eventually released and, according to one tape box, there is also a special version for the USA, which seems likely to be a remix of the record version. [...] November 16, 1962: Bachelor Boy is an edit of takes 10 and 11. [...] December 7, 1962: The Columbia label releases Cliff's 19th single The Next Time backed with Bachelor Boy. It's another chart topping smash for Cliff, and stays in the best seller lists for eighteen weeks. [...] December 1962: The Next Time/Bachelor Boy sells 250,000 copies in one week. [...] January 3, 1963: The first Number One of the New Year is The Next Time/Bachelor Boy, which stays on top until deposed by Dance On from the Shadows! [...] January 4, 1963: Pop singer Kenny Lynch reveals that his favourite single is Bachelor Boy. [...] January 11, 1963: As the NME chart listed Bachelor Boy and The Next Time as entirely separate chart entries, Radio Luxembourg ran a competition on its Friday Spectacular inviting listeners to guess which side would go higher in the charts. There were 4000 entries. [...] February 20, 1963: Cliff has four titles in the Top 30:

9 Summer Holiday16 Bachelor Boy18 The Next Time25 Dancing Shoes

He becomes the first artist to get four songs from one film (Summer Holiday) into the chart. [...] March 15, 1963: Cliff features in the charts of eight countries simultaneously:

The Next Time Number 2 in IsraelThe Next Time Number 6 in FranceThe Next Time Number 10 in NorwayThe Next Time/Bachelor Boy Number 1 in South AfricaBachelor Boy Number 1 in HollandBachelor Boy Number 3 in SwedenBachelor Boy Number 5 in Hong KongBachelor Boy Number 26 in BritainSummer Holiday Number 1 in Britain

[...] March 22, 1963: ...it is estimated that Cliff may well earn £6,000 composer's royalties for Bachelor Boy which is to be included in a forthcoming Bachelors LP. [...] April 13, 1963: Bachelor Boy enters the Australian charts. [...] May 18, 1963: In the Hong Kong charts Cliff's Summer Holiday is No. 2 and Bachelor Boy is No. 6. In Norway Summer Holiday is No. 1, while in South Africa he has three in the Top Ten-- Bachelor Boy at No. 3, Dancing Shoes at No. 4 and Summer Holiday in the No. 10 spot. [...] July 29, 1963: In a letter to the music papers, Ron Dennison writes from Ottawa, Canada: 'Cliff Richard has at last broken through in Canada! Bachelor Boy was No. 1 in most Canadian cities, including five unchallenged weeks here in Ottawa... [...] August 10, 1963: During the 100th edition of ABC TV's Thank Your Lucky Stars, Cliff receives a gold disc for a million sales of Bachelor Boy/The Next Time. [...] Radio Luxembourg Top 20 Show DJ, Barry Alldis, selects his favourite twenty records of 1963. Top of the list is Cliff's Bachelor Boy."Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)

"If ever a song from the dawn of one's career was the haunt anyone it was surely Bachelor Boy, back in 1962, for Cliff."David Winter (2001 August 25 - Winter's Tale: An Autobiography Living Through an Age of Change in Church and Media)

"Maybe it was [Cliff's] uncomplicated image that cause a last-minute song for the [Summer Holiday] movie to be written, recorded and filmed long after filming had been completed. But like most songs in a musical of this nature, it also served to advance the plot and throw light on the characters. Considering it was almost an afterthought, Bachelor Boy, written by Cliff and Shadows frontman Bruce Welch, became Cliff's twentieth single consecutive hit, and coupled with The Next Time was the lead single from the film then 'coming soon to a theatre near you.'"Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

"This [16 November 1962] session was held after filming and both tracks [Bachelor Boy and Big News] were late additions to the movie. Big News was written a couple of weeks before shooting ended while Bachelor Boy was written to order after it was discovered, during editing of the movie at Elstree, that it was under-running by a few minutes. The song was written in a couple of hours after which they had to return to Elstree to film, and presumably record, the new sequence. The soundtrack recording commenced at 7:00pm with Bachelor Boy being the first track laid down. Several attempts were made, including a rehearsal and several false starts, before 9 was finally as the master for record release. It is interesting to note that this track also features piano and close examination of the session tapes seem to reveal that it may be Hank playing. There is further evidence at the voice of Norrie Paramor, who would normally have taken on this role, can be heard directing the session from the control room. This is obviously speculation as paperwork does not indicate who is responsible, in fact no information exists of a piano being featured on the session, although there clearly is! Mono and stereo mixes of both Bachelor Boyand Big News were done on Monday 19th November as was a stereo remix of All At Once. Released in November 1962 this was the first single to feature material from the [Summer Holiday] film which was still two months away from general release. It entered the charts on 6 December and during a chart run of 18 weeks would reach #1 where it would remain for 3 weeks. It replaced another film soundtrack song at the top of the charts, Elvis Presley's Return To Sender and was knocked off the top spot by his backing group The Shadows with their fourth number one Dance On. Although classed as a double A-side Bachelor Boy was only listed on the charts from 10 January 1963."Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

"When you go right back to [Christmas] 1962 when I was #1 with Bachelor Boy and The Next time, so it wasn't even [a] Christmas [song]."Cliff Richard (2003 October 28 - interview on Radio 96.4, The Eagle)

"The [Summer Holiday] film is considered by many to be the best of Cliff Richard's trio of musicals and launched such successful singles as Bachelor Boy and Foot Tapper."Rebecca Gough (2007 May 31 - Evening News)

"Summer Holiday, The Next Time and Bachelor Boy were all lifted from Cliff's movie soundtracks of the day, when Cliff was the #1 box office film star in the UK and elsewhere, at one time being more popular than Sean Connery's James Bond."Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (2008 - liner notes for The Hits: Number Ones Around The World album in the ...And They Said It Wouldn't Last! {My 50 Years In Music} set)

"[In the Summer Holiday film, Lauri Peters] played the part of a genderless-looking stowaway who eventually melts Cliff's heart despite having been told by him, 'Girls are all very well but date them once and then run. Date them twice and they get serious... Next thing you know, you're hooked and wondering what's hit you. No. No girls is going to own me.' This was remarkably close to Cliff's code of caution, a code reinforced by a song that he had written with Bruce Welch which was added [to the film] after the location filming had been completed. Just as Tepper and Bennett's song The Young Ones forever associated Cliff with youth, so Bachelor Boy connected him with a permanent state of singleness."Steve Turner (2008 January - Cliff Richard - The Biography (revised edition))

"In On The Beach, I helped write [the] melody, Bachelor Boy was lyric. You know, [Bachelor Boy is] a very simple verse-chorus, verse-chorus, verse-chorus, verse-chorus. And Bruce had written a verse and the chorus and between us we wrote the other verses."Cliff Richard (2012 September 8 - Wired For Sound Radio)

Bachelor Boy (USA Remix Version)
The mono and stereo recordings are the same take and edit, but different mixes.

This version of Bachelor Boy is the version before Cliff's new vocals were edited on for the originally released single/album version. It is thought that the split stereo of the original version was not satisfactory for the USA market, but no suitable stereo version existed of that edited version existed. Therefore the engineers were forced to go back to the unedited version to create the USA mix. It was is referred to as the "Take 12" mix by engineers that prepared the song in 1963. This version is most notable on the last chorus, when Cliff shouts "Yeah! I'll be your bachelor boy" instead of the more subdued "But until then I'll be your bachelor boy". This version has been released on various LP and CD collections over the years, leading to much confusion over which is the original. Although it was prepared for the US market and saw release there in October 1963 on the album Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday, it's first release was actually in stereo in the UK on the Hits From Summer Holiday EP in June 1963. It's unclear why they chose to use the remix stereo version of the LP's split stereo version for this EP.

"The version [of Bachelor Boy] that was originally recorded for the [Summer Holiday] film is slightly different to the version that was eventually released and, according to one tape box, there is also a special version for the USA, which seems likely to be a remix of the record version."Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)

"Almost two months after the films [sic] release, on 25th March 1963, Malcolm Addey remixed a special version of Bachelor Boy for the US market although it is not known if this ever saw the light of day!"Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

The mono and stereo recordings are the same take and edit, but different mixes.

This version of Bachelor Boy is the version before Cliff's new vocals were edited on for the originally released single/album version. It is thought that the split stereo of the original version was not satisfactory for the USA market, but no suitable stereo version existed of that edited version existed. Therefore the engineers were forced to go back to the unedited version to create the USA mix. It was is referred to as the "Take 12" mix by engineers that prepared the song in 1963. This version is most notable on the last chorus, when Cliff shouts "Yeah! I'll be your bachelor boy" instead of the more subdued "But until then I'll be your bachelor boy". This version has been released on various LP and CD collections over the years, leading to much confusion over which is the original.

Bachelor Boy (Alternate Take With False Start)
This track has only ever been released in mono format.

The differences between this and the standard single and Summer Holiday album version is that it's clearly a different take with slight variations in the delivery, in particular in the line "but I remembered" just before the second chorus, where Cliff's voice noticeably goes up in pitch. Significantly, the lyrics near the end of the song are all different. In the standard version, just before the last chorus, Cliff sings: "Then I'll get married, have a wife and a child, and they'll be my turtle dove." On this alternate take, he sings: "And we'll get maried, have a wife and a child, and she'll be my turtle dove." The final chorus is also very different with several different ad-libs, including the unique line: "That's what my daddy did say." Also, this version is missing all backing vocals and includes the count-in and a false start. On the false start, Cliff flubs the opening line: "When I was..." and is heard asking to restart, then a new count-in is heard. On the Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD, this song is subtitled as "Previously Unreleased Alternate Take Including False Start."

"This [16 November 1962] session was held after filming and both tracks [Bachelor Boy and Big News] were late additions to the movie. Big News was written a couple of weeks before shooting ended while Bachelor Boy was written to order after it was discovered, during editing of the movie at Elstree, that it was under-running by a few minutes. The song was written in a couple of hours after which they had to return to Elstree to film, and presumably record, the new sequence. The soundtrack recording commenced at 7:00pm with Bachelor Boy being the first track laid down. Several attempts were made, including a rehearsal and several false starts, before 9 was finally as the master for record release. It is interesting to note that this track also features piano and close examination of the session tapes seem to reveal that it may be Hank playing. There is further evidence at the voice of Norrie Paramor, who would normally have taken on this role, can be heard directing the session from the control room. This is obviously speculation as paperwork does not indicate who is responsible, in fact no information exists of a piano being featured on the session, although there clearly is! The early rehearsal and false start are also included giving an insight into the recording process."Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

Bachelor Boy (Movie Version)
This track has only ever been released in mono format.

This version is a different take altogether from the Summer Holiday album version, although it doesn't vary much at all. The backing vocals are a bit more prominent. This song is listed on both the Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974 and Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD sets at Bachelor Boy (Film Version).

"The version [of Bachelor Boy] that was originally recorded for the [Summer Holiday] film is slightly different to the version that was eventually released and, according to one tape box, there is also a special version for the USA, which seems likely to be a remix of the record version."Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)

"The film versions, recorded earlier at Elstree, are also featured on this special release."Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

"They got me to dye my hair blonde because they said in American films the sidekick is always blonde. It took five hours to do it and it had be be done every 10 days. When we finished on Summer Holiday and all the rushes were cleared I went out immediately and had it all cut off and the rest of it coloured to take it back to my natural colour. Then I had a phone call saying, 'We're putting a new song in. It's called Bachelor Boy.' There was no Bachelor Boy in the film as we'd shot it. They put us in a studio in front of another bus and I've got a blonde wig! There's a line in it where you see my lips move and say, 'Bachelor Boy?' This was revoiced because the actual line was 'Talk about American dollies!' When the film came out, they had this enormous picture of me wearing this wig outside."Melvyn Hayes (2008 May - The Bachelor Boy)

Bachelor Boy (Unreleased December 25, 1962 TV Performance)

Bachelor Boy (The Ed Sullivan Show - April 14, 1963)

Bachelor Boy (Unreleased April 28, 1963 TV Performance)

Bachelor Boy (Unreleased May 8, 1964 TV Performance)

Bachelor Boy (Unreleased September 29, 1965 TV Performance)

Bachelor Boy (Unreleased April 5, 1966 TV Performance)

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan - October 18, 1967)
"Bachelor Boy and It's All In The Game were two extra tracks released only on the Japanese issue of the [Cliff In Japan] album."Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)

"What is intriguing, however, is why two of Cliff's biggest hits-- Bachelor Boy and It's All In The Game-- were included on the Japanese version but omitted from the British release. For the first time, these two songs are now included."Peter Lewry and Nigel Goodall (March 2007 - liner notes for Cliff In Japan Remaster CD)

Bachelor Boy (Unreleased June 11, 1968 TV Performance)

Shadows Medley: The Young Ones/Living Doll/In The Country/Bachelor Boy (Korea - October 1969)
This song, as it appears on the Cliff Live In Korea LP is a bit of an oddity. First, they list each song separately, instead of as a medley. That's not too unusual. But very oddly, the first three parts end side 2 of the LP, with Bachelor Boy removed from the other songs in the medley and included alone at the beginning of side 3.

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan - September 1972)
"Having treated the audience to many of his recent hits, it was time to go back to some of the songs that had made him a top recording star. Living Doll, Bachelor Boy and The Young Ones take the audience back to the early 1960s and bring back memories of seeing him on the silver screen."Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (2008 - liner notes for Cliff "Live" In Japan '72 album in the ...And They Said It Wouldn't Last! {My 50 Years In Music} set)

Bachelor Boy (It's Cliff Richard - August 24, 1974)

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan - October 1974)
Bruce Welch sings lead vocal on the second verse on this performance.

40 Golden Greats Sampler #2
The B-side of the first disc of the 40 Golden Greats promo only double EP set (EMI PSR 414) includes excerpts from the songs:

The Young Ones

Do You Want To Dance

I'm Lookin' Out The Window

It'll Be Me

Bachelor Boy

The Next Time

Summer Holiday

Lucky Lips

It's All In The Game

Don't Talk To Him

Each track plays approximately the first 30 seconds of the song before it fades and the next track begins.

Bachelor Boy (London Palladium - March 4, 1978)
"There are several songs that still remain unreleased and unmixed, including... from Cliff and his own band Every Face Tells A Story, Up In The World, Melting Into One, The Minute You're Gone and Bachelor Boy."Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall (July 2004 - liner notes for Thank You Very Much remaster album)

The Best Of Cliff Richard And The Shadows Mix
This is available only on a promo flexi-disc, meant to promote the Reader's Digest compilation called The Best Of Cliff Richard And The Shadows. It includes a medley of Cliff and The Shadows songs, interspersed with Alan Freeman talking about them. The songs, in order of appearance, are: Bachelor Boy, Move It, Living Doll, Please Don't Tease, It'll Be Me, The Young Ones, Summer Holiday, In The Country, The Day I Met Marie, All My Love, Congratulations, Power To All Our Friends, Apache, Wonderful Land, Dance On!, Foot Tapper, Devil Woman, Miss You Nights, We Don't Talk Anymore, Carrie and finally Visions.

Bachelor Boy (NEC Birmingham - July 1984)

Bachelor Boy (Sydney, Australia - November 1984)

Bachelor Boy (Wembley Stadium, London - June 16 & 17, 1989)

Bachelor Boy (Knebworth - June 30, 1990)

Bachelor Boy (From A Distance - The Tour 1991 - December 1, 1991)

Bachelor Boy (Lech, Austria - 1993)
This is an acoustic performance with Cliff on acoustic guitar, accompanied by an unidentified man on acoustic guitar and backing vocals. It is incomplete (the end of the song only) and was released only on the 1993 The Story So Far documentary videotape.

Bachelor Boy (Leeds Castle - July 25, 2004)
"He sings theme songs from his two big movies, The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, obscure album tracks such as Baby It's You, Without You and Baby I Could Be So Good At Loving You and top ten hits like Please Don't Tease, Bachelor Boy and On The Beach."Steve Turner (2008 January - Cliff Richard - The Biography (revised edition))

Bachelor Boy (Albufeira Rehearsal - August 2004)
This is only a short rehearsal bit, with drummer Peter May providing hand clap percussion. It ends rather comically when, during the instrumental break, Peter breaks into a wild and unexpected rhythm that ends with everyone laughing at it.

Bachelor Boy (Albufeira, Portugal - August 20, 2004)

Bachelor Boy/The Next Time (Wembley Arena - November 14, 2008)

Bachelor Boy (Reunited Version)

Bachelor Boy (O2 Arena - September 2009)

This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Cliff Richard song Bachelor Boy. If you notice any errors or omissions, please contact me at cliffrichardsongs@gmail.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.